The Little Things
by Armadillo Queen AKA Dillo
Summary: A cure for the ANMC virus has been discovered! But who are the lost souls that haunt the shelter? (Not as stupid as it sounds.)
1. Prolouge- Capture

Authour's Note: No, I have no clue why I stuck this in my story.  
  
Pierce turned over another cargo box and leapt out of the way as a deformed bone suckler exploded. He sighed in frustration. The cure for most of these poor creatures was so close, but they needed to test it. And catching a sample creature was proving to be a lot harder than expected. They had ruled out the healthy ANMCs, they were too dangerous. So now Pierce was left checking the shelter for a semi-docile, and apparently highly elusive, ANMC. He swung open the next door and was greeted by a small "heh!" and a thump.  
  
At his feet was a Mad Chaser, which had flung itself at him with all it's might. And, naturally, missed. Pierce pulled on a thick leather glove, as the Mad Chasers tended to bite. This one did not. In fact, it stared up at Pierce imploringly as he bent over it and wiggled his fingers in front of it's face. "Finally!" he muttered, picking up the ANMC carefully. It let out it's bizarre laugh, almost causing Pierce to drop it. "Stop that." He told it, then placed it in the transport crate and made his way out of the shelter.  
  
He reached his SUV safely, and secured the crate in the back before getting in the driver's seat and beginning the long drive home. The jostles from the ride must have been bothering the Mad Chaser, because it was giggling almost nonstop. He tried turning on the radio to soothe both his and his passenger's nerves, but the transmission this far out was pretty terrible. So he turned off the radio and began talking.  
  
"Hey, don't complain so much! We're gonna turn you back into a human. Well, we're gonna try, anyway. Won't that be nice? No more living in the shelter, no more eating people. no more giggling, thank God.  
  
Y'know what the cure is? It's this big cocktail of DNA: human, so you've got the right basic instructions; Stranger, 'cause they can change back and forth really quickly, so it won't take you months; and then a bunch of other stuff. And stabilizers and painkillers and stuff so changing back won't be so hard on you. The whole nine yards. And the DNA's all packed onto a little virus, just like the stuff that changed you in the first place.  
  
Boy, think of everything you'll be able to do once you're human again! Walk and talk. Hey, I'll bet you have a lot you've wanted to say for a long time, huh? Tell you what, as soon as you can, you talk my ear off, alright? It's only fair, I've been doing it to you the whole drive down. Wait 'till you meet Aya! She's a knockout. But no stealing, okay? I've been trying to catch her eye for a long time. If you even are a guy. Hey, I never thought of that.What if you're a girl? I mean, that wouldn't surprise you, but truth be told, it's kinda hard to tell right now. No hard feelings, right? Oh, here's our stop." 


	2. Chapter 1- Mad Chaser

Author's note: Whee! I have two pals that own Parasite Eve 2, and I know most of the story. Therefore, I have developed two favorite characters. Here's your hint: they're not main characters. At all. This is the only fic I've written that has cough technically no introduced characters. You'll see what I mean.  
  
Many thanks to:  
  
Specter: Owner of Parasite Eve and Parasite Eve 2, and a huge help on technicalities. (Like reminding me that Kyle's kinda.not.there.no more.)  
  
Demoness: huggles Demoness My best gal-pal, owner of the other copy of Parasite Eve 2, and never-ending source of entertainment. (Ask her to do an ANMC impression for you!)  
  
Disclaimer: None of the characters in here are mine. You aren't paying for the right to read this fic (I hope!) and so therefore I am not liable. So there.  
  
AND NOW. Laaadies aaaannnnddd Geeeenntlemen!! The only PE2 fic to be inspired by an ANMC and a Key Item! Drumroll please.  
  
The Little Things  
  
"So," Pierce summarized, showing the vial to Aya, "this should reverse the effects of the ANMC virus. But we need to test it on something first."  
  
"Not me, I hope." Aya said, giving him a critical look.  
  
"Nope." Pierce walked to the back of his SUV and opened the trunk. Inside was a steel crate like the ones used for transporting wild animals. Pierce glared at the box. "It was hell driving this into town from all the way out there at the shelter. That noise it makes. ugh. But it was the easiest thing to catch that didn't self-destruct when we shoved it in the crate."  
  
Aya clapped a hand over Pierce's mouth. "Stop. Now, what exactly is it?"  
  
Pierce blushed and manhandled the crate onto the desert sand, then opened the top. Aya wrinkled her nose and peered in at the inhabitant, then back at Pierce. "We're going to turn that back into a human? Is that even possible?"  
  
He shrugged. "Theoretically. It was the best-behaved one in the shelter, too. Look." He reached into the crate and patted the malformed Chaser on the head. It rolled onto it's back and stared at the sun, giggling and blinking.  
  
Aya tore her eyes away from the Mad Chaser and stared at Pierce as if he had been doing the giggling. "Ooohh-kay. So why am I here for this little session of 'Weird Science'?"  
  
"In case something goes wrong and it needs to be turned into a little blob of plasma." Pierce answered nonchalantly, lifting the creature out onto the sand. "Ready? Set.go!" He administered the serum and stood back as it began to twist and change.  
  
After a few astonishing and rather painful-looking moments, a more human creature lay on the ground in place of the deformed Chaser.  
  
"Maybe a bigger dose." Pierce started, but a giggle cut him off.  
  
"Hehehee. I-I can.haha.think.eeheehee!"  
  
Aya and Pierce exchanged slightly disturbed glances. "Uh. so. what's your name?" Aya asked.  
  
It stumbled to it's feet and shrugged. "Eheheheh. Don't re.re- something.hahah! Been so long." It giggled. "Dosen't matter!" It chortled, giving them a lopsided grin. 


	3. Chapter 2- Kazrov

"Okay. how about this?" Pierce showed the ex-Mad Chaser another photograph, this one of the Pod Control Gantry.  
  
It shook it's head, grinning gleefully. "Nope! Fuzzy dreams, fuzzy dreams. Heheheheheehee!"  
  
Pierce sighed and turned to Aya. "It's no good. It just doesn't remember what happened before it was a Chaser. And with no clue of who it was before, we can't do anything."  
  
Aya reached into her vest and pulled out the two ID cards she had used to open doors at the shelter. "Do you remember Dr. Bowman?" She asked, showing his card.  
  
It hissed and grabbed the card from her. Then, it ripped the card apart, snarling oaths at Bowman between fits of joyful laughter.  
  
Sighing, Aya took the little bits away from it. "Don't eat that, you'll choke. I guess we'll have to use. uhm, I guess it's Yoshi-da's card?" She read the card carefully.  
  
"Heehee-huh? No, it's Yo-shee-da!" It tried to look annoyed.  
  
Aya glanced up in surprise. "You know him?" She asked, handing him the card.  
  
"Gimme! Heehee! Yes!" It held the card up so the photograph faced Aya, then put it in front of it's face. "See? Heeheeheehee!"  
  
"Y-you're Kazrov Yoshida?" Aya was amazed. "I thought he-you were dead."  
  
Kazrov giggled. "Me too!" He turned to watch Eve as she entered bearing snacks and milk. He considered the tray for a moment, then snatched a Twinkie and ate it, wrapper and all.  
  
Unfazed, Pierce picked up another of the yellow abominations and unwrapped it. "All right! Twinkies!" He then went to take a bite out of the confection, but it was pulled from his hand. "Hey!"  
  
Kazrov pushed the entire thing into his mouth, giggling joyfully, then purloined the wrapper in Pierce's hand and ate that, too.  
  
Eve watched the scene critically, then offered Kazrov a glass of milk, warning, "Don't eat the cup. You won't like it."  
  
Kazrov took the proffered cup and lapped up the milk, then pushed the cup back into Eve's hands. "Heeheehehehehe! Got more?" 


	4. Chapter 3&4- Memorial Kickstart

Author's note: Because Chaper 3 was dismally short, I combined it with Chapter 4. So sue me.  
  
Chapter 3- We're Going WHERE?!?  
  
An hour later, Pierce and Aya were trying to pry Kazrov Yoshida from the Motel Bronco's main doorway.  
  
"Yoshida, please cooperate." Aya chided. "We need you to get us into the locked sections of the shelter."  
  
"Nnnooo! Love the sun! Hee? Nice sun!"  
  
Eve took one of his hands and tugged slightly. "C'mon Kaz, we won't leave you there, I promise."  
  
Kaz relaxed and bowed his head to come face-to-face with Eve. "Promise promise, little sister? Heh?"  
  
"Promise promise." Eve assured him.  
  
Author's note: Toldja. ;)  
  
Chapter 4- Memorial Kickstart  
  
Kaz's mood had improved by the end of the lift ride into the shelter. Eve sat perched on his shoulders as he trotted out onto the sterile metal floor and made a few practice charges up and down the hall. Aya kept a wary eye on them both while Pierce loaded guns and checked supplies.  
  
"All done!" Pierce announced, standing up and handing Aya a shotgun. "So, when do we run into these beasties?"  
  
"As soos as we open that door." Aya replied. She was right. They opened the door to the main hallway and a Fatty stood staring at them with the most unintelligent expression on it's face. It groaned and swung it's arm at Aya, but was knocked over by Kaz headramming it. He rolled out of the way and Aya fired shotgun rounds into it until it melted.  
  
Thus clearing the hall (the ANMC population seemed to have dropped since their last visit), they began checking the adjoining rooms.  
  
The first room they checked was the sleeping quarters. Kaz explored the jumble of cables near the door and plugged a few in. A computer in the corner blinked on, but he ignored it. Then, he checked the bunks. He found his bunk first, being as it was the closest bottom bunk. He did an odd sort of faceplant right into the wrinkled sheets, making the laptop set on the foot of the bed bounce. After a moment, Eve wandered over and tapped his shoulder. "What'cha doing?"  
  
Kaz's giggle was muffled by the comforter he had his face buried in. "Home, little sister! We're home! Hehehehee!"  
  
"This isn't your real home, is it, Kazrov?" Aya asked, examining the computer screen. This one seemed to be virus-free.  
  
Kaz rolled over on his back, bearing a puzzled expression. "Heh?"  
  
"You must have lived somewhere else when you were human." Peirce explained. "Do you remember anything about that?"  
  
Kaz shrugged and stood up again. He peered at the rest of the bunks. "Heh? Where'd they go?" He looked a little lost, searching both bottom and top bunks for their past inhabitants. Not one of them had been disturbed since Aya's last visit, save for Yoshida's and.  
  
"Bowman?" Peirce read the nameplate over the fish-smelling bunk. "I remember hearing about him. Didn't you kill him last time, Aya?"  
  
"Of course I did. That's why I have-" She paused and glanced at Kazrov. "-excuse me, had his card."  
  
"It looks like something used it pretty recently." Pierce said doubtfully. "The blankets are all pushed aside. Maybe it was that Number 9 guy. The search team never did find his remains."  
  
Kazrov stopped next to Pierce and let out an agitated hiss. "Heh! Bowman! Heh! Crazy. Crazy crazy. And mean!"  
  
Eve stuck out her lower lip and pouted in sympathy. "He was mean to you? What'd he do?"  
  
"Bad dreams, little sister. Not important! Heheh!!" He took her arm and towed her gently into the next room with Aya and Peirce following. He stopped in front of one of the lockers and pulled on the handle. The name plate identified the locker as his own.  
  
"Where's the key?" Aya asked.  
  
Kaz closed his glowing red eyes for a moment. "Heh! Thirty-six!" He handed Aya a Health and Fitness magazine that he had been holding under his arm. She flipped the book open to page 36, "Toes of Steel". Sure enough, a small key had been taped to the page. She removed the key and unlocked Kazrov's locker for him. Inside were more shirts and pants, an extra pair of shoes, and a lab coat. Kaz took down the coat and pulled it on with a satisfied air, then searched the bag for his card key and clipped it to his coat pocket. 


	5. Chapter 5--Odd Chaser

Chapter 5 (Oh boy!!)—Odd Stranger  
  
Author's note: Wow. I'm actually getting somewhere! There's almost a plot! (They're hard little buggers to find, you know.) I actually spell checked this one, and I think I fixed the ellipses (the little things that look like three periods in a row.) Bonus points to the first person who figures out who the Stranger-killer is! I'm not going to be one of those people who threatens to stop writing if people don't review. Nope! I'm gonna keep writing until I reach a sufficient ending, so you gotta put up with me. ^_^  
  
...Neo Ark...  
  
A Greater Stranger raised it's head and looked around the jungle-like enclosure with animalistic satisfaction. It had eliminated the other types of Strangers that lived there, the Grin and Lesser, and now it's pack was the undisputed top of the food chain. It's simple mind turned from 'Acquire Territory' to 'Get Food'. It raised it's crested head and sniffed. Plants. Dirt. Metal. All inedible. Birds. Not inedible, just not worth the effort of chasing something that could fly for a meal about the size of the creature's palm and consisting mostly of feathers. What else? Other Greater Strangers. A sufficient last-ditch effort, it decided. Then, another scent wafted through it's nasal cavities, de-railing it's train of thought. It was new. Food or Threat? It's mind wandered over to 'Snoop'. Pushing aside some leaves, it came nose-to-nose with the source of the scent. It started to make an irritated noise.  
  
There was a sickening noise of metal through flesh, and the Greater and Stranger was no longer concerned with food. Or at all, for that matter. The new figure stood up and watched the ANMC melt quietly away. After a moment, he laughed.  
  
...Breeding Room...  
  
Against Aya's instructions, Pierce peered into one of the cages. He quickly looked away and retched. "Hey, Aya!" He said once he recovered. "Aya..." He stepped back to peer around the corner he had come in by, luckily glancing back before he did.  
  
"What?" Aya finally answered, glancing up from the journals scattered across the desk.  
  
Pierce had planned to ask about the cages, but now something else had taken priority. "Where's Kazrov?"  
  
Aya shrugged, turning back to the papers. "In the hall with Eve. I didn't want her to have to see this, and Kazrov likes her. He said he'd protect her. Why?"  
  
Pierce glanced down at the thing he had almost stepped on. "What d'you think he'd do about this?" He prodded the thing with his foot, and eerie yet familiar laughter filled the room.  
  
Aya walked over to look at the Mad Chaser. "I... I don't know." She pointed her flashlight at it, and it gazed rather idiotically at the source of the bright light. Now she could see it was laying on top of some papers, the first page of which it was currently chewing on. She removed it as politely as possible and pushed it off the other papers, causing it to giggle. Once the got the sheets in order, she read it to Pierce, skipping over the parts on the first page that had been rendered unreadable by ANMC drool:  
  
"J--e 3 – Ano--er human test subject. I never thought I'd gr-----sed to this, but I have alre--y locked him in a cell. He was ---eady here when I a----ed, with a note a---ched to the cage instr------ on the tre--ments he would receive to become an ANMC. I v---ified this with one of the G--EMs, as the sub---t is lethargic and refuses to speak.  
  
  
  
June 12 – The mental health of the subject brought in on the 3rd is failing. He received the treatments to become a Desert Chaser, and had displayed the symptoms of progress: lightening of hair color, loss of pigmentation in the eyes, lengthening neck, carnivorous tendencies, etc. But now he seems delirious. Sudden stimuli, such as loud noises, flashes of light, or direct stimuli (touch) cause him to laugh wildly, then drop into inconsolable depression. He paces and bangs on the cell door, screaming nonsense, then curls up in the corner near the door and shivers until I put the portable heater near him. I heard what happened to the woman researcher, and I will not let him out, no matter how tempted I am.  
  
  
  
June 18 – I'm afraid I may lose the subject brought in on the 3rd. We have given him numerous organ transplants and an artificial trachea, but when he moves in a way that should cause him pain, he only laughs. He has lost all of his limbs save for one arm, on which we have preformed many surgeries. He is no doubt a failure, but the GOLEM No. 9 insists I continue my work.  
  
  
  
June 29 – It is amazing that the subject received on the 3rd is alive at all. He still lacks limbs other than a small, weak arm, but he has stabilized and eating again. I gave him a Twinkie today, because he was staring at me imploringly. He seemed to enjoy it.  
  
  
  
May 8 – I learned only this morning that there have been similar failures in Desert Chaser treatments, and they are referred to mockingly by many cruel names. I will refrain from calling him any of these names, but because of his advanced dementia, I refer to him as a "Mad Chaser". I must remind myself when I look at him that he was human.  
  
  
  
May 17 – I overheard the head researcher, telling the others to kill all the "failures". I know they will try to take the life of the Mad Chaser, because he is too weak to live outside the shelter. I cannot record where, for fear they will discover him, but I have taken him out of his cage and hid him somewhere safe. I wish him luck, but I am leaving."  
  
Pierce shook his head. "So that's what happened."  
  
"Heh? What happened?" Kaz's voice echoed. Aya spun around and quickly saw his small red eyes glowing in the dim light. He wandered up to them, occasionally pausing to sniff random things.  
  
Pierce quickly stepped in front of the Mad Chaser, effectively blocking Kazrov's view. Kaz contrived to look offended. He pushed Pierce aside firmly and crouched in front of the Mad Chaser. The ANMC hunters held their breath. The Mad Chaser giggled. After a pause, Kazrov giggled back and sat down rather awkwardly next to it. The Mad Chaser really didn't seem to know what was going on, but then, they never did.  
  
Aya hesitantly placed her hand on Kazrov's shoulder. "Kaz... I--I'm sorry. It's best not to think about... what happened..."  
  
Kazrov stared hard at the Mad Chaser, then at Aya. "Heh... It's okay. Better than..." He poked the Mad Chaser with a long finger. It giggled again.  
  
"But you were one of those!" Pierce said without thinking.  
  
Kaz shook his head. "No more."  
  
"You're almost a Stranger, or a Chaser... an Odd Chaser?" Aya muttered, mulling it over.  
  
Kazrov nodded. "Heheheh! Odd Chaser! Hah!" He seemed satisfied with the moniker. He started to say something else but a scream cut him off.  
  
Aya immediately recognized the sound. "EVE!!!" 


End file.
